Inamorata
by Eternal Angel

Inamorata (n) - a woman with whom one is in love or has an intimate relationship.

1.

He's low on funds again and attempts to make a game plan about what he'll do about dinner. He'll scrape on by, he always does. However, whenever his stomach growls considerably and his wallet feels a bit too light, he can't help but recall the time when there were three of them and all the odd little things they use to do in order to make it through the days.

That was years ago. He doesn't quite remember exactly how long ago that was, and he doesn't try. He never was someone that was good at keep track of time. He just knows that it has been awhile and he leaves it at that.

He lets his eyes scan through the busy streets before thinking up ways to make money quick. The man ahead of him looked like he had a fat wallet and Mugen wondered if he should just try and pick pocket him. If he's lucky, he'll probably even get enough cash to stay at an inn and buy something intoxicating to drink.

He stalked his unsuspecting prey that seemed to jingle with every step he took. Inching closer to the man, Mugen suddenly became aware of something fast that was heading his way. Turning sharply, he grabbed the white flying object that was aimed for his head with his right hand. He looks at the object in his hand, an onigiri, slightly smashed from his grip, still (mostly) in one piece and then at the person who threw it at him.

She looked the same. Granted, the lines on her face were a bit more defined from maturing in age; however, she still was the same with her haired tied up as always and with a pinkish kimono similar to the one she used to wear during their travels together. She carried a bag filled with onigiris in one hand and with the other; she waved to him, a huge smile plastered on her face.

That smile was quickly accompanied by a stream of tears as she ran over to the male and gave him a tight hug. He couldn't help but feel something inside of him clench as the warmth of her surrounded him. Her subtle scent lingered at hose nose, the weight of her pregnant stomach pressed against him ever so slightly.

"Mugen!" She sobbed into the nook of his neck, hot tears flowing onto the collar of his shirt. They were getting some weird glances from the people that passed by. Mugen noticed that the man he was casually stalking was now no where to be seen.

"Crying makes you uglier," he said to her. Her only responds to that was crying – harder.

"You dropped your onigiris."

His words got her to stop crying. Fuu quickly pushed him away from her as she looks down at the ground and onto the bag of onigiri she recently dropped when she had rushed on over to greet Mugen. Quickly, she retrieved the bag of onigiri from the ground, pouting at the two lost rice balls that had escaped from the bag and tumbled onto the dirt road.

The scent of the onigiri got both their stomach grumbling. Mugen stole the bag from her hands and began to eat some of the rice balls as well as the one that she had thrown at him earlier on. His theft had resulted in a bit of a tug-a-war match between the both of them. They had resulted in competing to see who would be able to get the bag long enough to successfully eat a rice ball or two before the other would covet the rice ball from their grasp. The bag was soon empty and Fuu giggled at their childish behavior.

"That wasn't very nice. I'm pregnant you know, I need all the food I can eat." She told him before crumpling the empty bag in one hand. Mugen ate the left over grains of rice that stuck itself to his hands before looking at her and the swell of her belly. She looked like she was going to be delivering that child any day now.

"Bull shit," he responded. "You've always eaten a lot. That was probably your seventh meal of the day and it's barely past two now."

They shared a moment between themselves before Fuu has tears brimmed in her eyes once again. Her hand tightly gripped his arm as though she was making sure that he doesn't flee or disappear on her. Her voice was thick with emotion. She starts to go on about how she thought she was never going to see him again.

He doesn't respond to that and she doesn't mind. Instead, her mood rapidly changed and now she's back to smiling brightly, her eyes bubbling with uncontained excitement.

"Let's go to my house! You can meet my husband and rest at our house for the night! I'll make sure to feed you tonight so much that you can no longer walk!" Her words sounded more like a threat rather than a promise. She begins to yank him with her. He let her lead him, pulling him through alleys, weaving around street vendors and merchants, side stepping pot holes on the unpaved streets; her slender fingers entwined within his own.

- - - - -

This story is a bit of an angst story. What it is meant to do is show what time does to people and what happens to past love. I've tried to write it as in character as possible, but it's becoming too difficult because Mugen is just a hard character to write. I hope you enjoy it! Sorry for any possible grammer/spelling/tense mistakes. I'm never good at catching stuff too much.

Revised: 7/21/05